Do you eat the calories you burn?

2

Replies

  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I usually eat most of them. The point is to be eating under maintenance, but not too far under. If you have too high of an energy deficit due to exercise, it can stress your body too much and could make it harder to reach your goals.
  • osualex
    osualex Posts: 409 Member
    Only if I'm hungry for them. I usually eat between 1500-1700 a day so I don't worry too much about this, plus I'm never burning more than 400 a day.
  • bellydancer124
    bellydancer124 Posts: 248
    I never do. I don't own an HRM, so I never have an accurate reading of calories burned. I would rather not risk eating too much. I don't even log my exercise because of that.

    Wow ....... so you think zero is a closer number? Why not eat at least 1/2 back .... much less risk at losing muscle mass. Besides, too few calories ....plateaus ... too frustrating for me.

    I'm not trying to lose, only maintain. I actually have my calories set kind of high for this reason (I think it is anyway). I do want to invest in an HRM, but just haven't yet. :smile: I will though! lol
  • AsellusReborn
    AsellusReborn Posts: 1,112 Member
    During the week I try to net 600 calories total. I'll eat about 1000-1200 and then burn 600+ so I end up netting between 400 and 600. I swear I eat every meal and even snack, but once you find out which foods to eat and get into a pattern it makes it almost impossible to eat more than 1200 calories unless I drink alcohol or eat pizza (which I try to save for the weekends)


    I'm sorry, but that does not sound safe unless you are being monitored by a physician or have a health condition that precludes normal eating. Regardless of the "is 1200 a magic number" debate netting 600 is going to severely stress your body unless you are extremely tiny.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    During the week I try to net 600 calories total. I'll eat about 1000-1200 and then burn 600+ so I end up netting between 400 and 600. I swear I eat every meal and even snack, but once you find out which foods to eat and get into a pattern it makes it almost impossible to eat more than 1200 calories unless I drink alcohol or eat pizza (which I try to save for the weekends)

    :flowerforyou: OMG! .... you poor thing. Is this medically supervised? Please, please, educate yourself (unless you are under a doctor's care). Your body needs 1200 calories minimum for basic bodily functions ..... heart, liver, kidneys.

    This is some seriously bad advice. The faster weight comes off .... the more likely you will put it right back on when you stop dieting. This is because by losing large amounts of muscle mass (with extremely low calorie diets) will result in a slower metabolism.
  • onedayillbeamilf
    onedayillbeamilf Posts: 966 Member
    On the rare ocassion that I exercise, I eat them.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    I never do. I don't own an HRM, so I never have an accurate reading of calories burned. I would rather not risk eating too much. I don't even log my exercise because of that.

    Wow ....... so you think zero is a closer number? Why not eat at least 1/2 back .... much less risk at losing muscle mass. Besides, too few calories ....plateaus ... too frustrating for me.

    I'm not trying to lose, only maintain. I actually have my calories set kind of high for this reason (I think it is anyway). I do want to invest in an HRM, but just haven't yet. :smile: I will though! lol

    If your calories are already set kinda high already ... then it's taken care of already. Sorry I jumped to a conclusion.
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
    If I earn another 500 or so calories from exercise I often struggle to want to eat those calories back - which has an intersting effect on me because I have always been the kind of person who is always thinking of food and snacking, which is how I got to be overweight.

    Now I am thinking - do I really have to eat another 500 calories? I don't want to! some days I eat them all back if I feel the drive to eat. Other days I don't and I don't stress over it.
  • marywanoKC
    marywanoKC Posts: 176
    Not usually. I find that I tend to eat the wrong things when I try to eat back calories, so I'd rather have a large deficit than eat crap foods just to get rid of that deficit.
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
    Only if it's ice cream, cake, pie, cookies, pop tarts, etc. I'm not going to bust my butt exercising then eat back those calories with salad.
  • toya316
    toya316 Posts: 137 Member
    Depends on my appetite after my work out....
  • tjmist
    tjmist Posts: 45 Member
    Thanks for the concern, but I think it really depends upon how much you exercise. If you are working out and burning 600+ calories some days it doesn't mean you have to eat an additional 600 calories. Right now I'm in training, and on a high work out day if I happen to burn more calories than usual I'm not going to eat them back if I'm not hungry. I never deny myself, and I agree 100% that starving is stupid and slows your metabolism. It really depends on your level of activity though. My only point for this discussion is that you shouldn't worry about trying to eat back calories just because you worked out if you're not hungry. Trust me, if you're body needs that extra food it will definitely let you know!
  • ShaSimone
    ShaSimone Posts: 270 Member
    If I'm hungry I eat, and I love that exercise gives me some cushion. I don't however make a point of eating them back. My calories however are set at maintanence level around 1700 calories a day. That's enough to keep me moving, energized, and able to do strong workouts and see health and strength improvements.
  • AsellusReborn
    AsellusReborn Posts: 1,112 Member
    Thanks for the concern, but I think it really depends upon how much you exercise. If you are working out and burning 600+ calories some days it doesn't mean you have to eat an additional 600 calories. Right now I'm in training, and on a high work out day if I happen to burn more calories than usual I'm not going to eat them back if I'm not hungry. I never deny myself, and I agree 100% that starving is stupid and slows your metabolism. It really depends on your level of activity though. My only point for this discussion is that you shouldn't worry about trying to eat back calories just because you worked out if you're not hungry. Trust me, if you're body needs that extra food it will definitely let you know!


    And to be contrary, exercise can also act to depress hunger signals. I find my appetite suppressed after activity.


    Obviously you can't change the mind of someone who doesn't want to change their mind, but especially considering you're training right now I think you're doing yourself a disservice. VLCDs may work in the sense that they will cause you to lose weight, but you're not losing the weight you want because you're going to force your body to cannibalize more than just fat. Weightloss always entails some muscle loss no matter how hard we work to retain lean body mass but extreme deficits make lbm preservation extremely difficult. That creates a horrible cycle - you're going to need to exercise more and more to get the same calorie burns you want because the tissue you're losing burns more calories at rest than fat. They are also going to be incredibly difficult to sustain and will make it easier to gain weight when you stop the VLCD - with less muscle on your body, your calories needed to maintain your weight are going to go lower than they would if you had lost weight in a way that preserves lean body mass.

    And eventually...you're just going to run out of steam. Your performance will suffer and your workouts will likely be harder to complete. Running is great for your body but if you're not fueling your workout how can you expect to continue benefiting from it? The human body can absorb a great deal of stress if that stress is transient over the short term, but long term stresses are damaging.


    In the end, everyone is different, but I urge you to research this. I started out that way and I did lose some weight so I can understand the appeal, but without medical supervision netting that low of a calorie intake can be very harmful to your body i the long run.
  • HashtagTraci
    HashtagTraci Posts: 34
    I rarely eat back any of the calories I burn because when I do I lose weight much slower. But it is nice to have them there when I feel like eating more because I don't feel so guilty about going over my caloric daily limit.
  • runeatrun
    runeatrun Posts: 11
    If I burn about 200 then usually I won't touch them just because I sort of built that into my calorie allotment. Large calorie burns I'll eat at least half or all of them if I'm hungry.

    Whatever I don't eat I usually make up for it on weekend splurges lol
  • Dawnymaries
    Dawnymaries Posts: 109
    It depends on how many I've burned and how I'm feeling that day. If I'm feeling super motivated, I will pass them up, but that doesn't happen often. Burning 300 today and I will definitely be eating those back!
  • Im_NotPerfect
    Im_NotPerfect Posts: 2,181 Member
    Absolutely! Frankly, the main reason I exercise is simply so that I can eat more. I love my food....
  • kenazfehu
    kenazfehu Posts: 1,188 Member
    No. For me, the math doesn't work. Questionnaire gave me a BMR of 1459. I chose that I want to lose 1 pound per week. MFP gave me a calorie budget of 1350 calories. That's only 109 calories less than BMR. It would take me almost 35 days to lose 1 pound.

    I figure I need to burn 400 calories per day to lose 1 pound per week based on these figures.
  • Goal_Driven
    Goal_Driven Posts: 371 Member
    I eat some back only if I'm hungry for it. Generally, I try to stay at my calorie goal.
  • AsellusReborn
    AsellusReborn Posts: 1,112 Member
    No. For me, the math doesn't work. Questionnaire gave me a BMR of 1459. I chose that I want to lose 1 pound per week. MFP gave me a calorie budget of 1350 calories. That's only 109 calories less than BMR. It would take me almost 35 days to lose 1 pound.

    I figure I need to burn 400 calories per day to lose 1 pound per week based on these figures.

    Actually, you are confusing BMR with TDEE.


    BMR = basal metabolic rate = the calories needed to maintain your weight if you do literally nothing - the example usually given is that this is how many calories your body would burn if you were in a coma (http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/bmr-calculator.html - bmr calculator)


    TDEE = total daily expenditure = the amount of calories you burn by going through your day - getting up to pee, walking to the frig, walking to the car, standing up and sitting down, etc (http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html)


    These numbers are very different, more different than you'd think. To give you an example my BMR is 1350. My TDEE is 1850 if I choose the very lowest activity rating, which is sedentary. That means if I eat at BMR that is already a 500cal deficit :) Hopefully that answers the math-not-working-out! :)
  • kenazfehu
    kenazfehu Posts: 1,188 Member
    Oh - well no wonder it doesn't work!

    I'll go take a look at the TDE link.
  • faithchange
    faithchange Posts: 311 Member
    No. For me, the math doesn't work. Questionnaire gave me a BMR of 1459. I chose that I want to lose 1 pound per week. MFP gave me a calorie budget of 1350 calories. That's only 109 calories less than BMR. It would take me almost 35 days to lose 1 pound.

    I figure I need to burn 400 calories per day to lose 1 pound per week based on these figures.
    I'm surprised MFP gave you a daily calorie below your BMR. That's strange! My BMR is 1595 and MFP gave me 1670. I eat my exercise calories back most of them...cause I'm hungry or I enjoy some of the treats I allow for.
  • AsellusReborn
    AsellusReborn Posts: 1,112 Member
    No. For me, the math doesn't work. Questionnaire gave me a BMR of 1459. I chose that I want to lose 1 pound per week. MFP gave me a calorie budget of 1350 calories. That's only 109 calories less than BMR. It would take me almost 35 days to lose 1 pound.

    I figure I need to burn 400 calories per day to lose 1 pound per week based on these figures.
    I'm surprised MFP gave you a daily calorie below your BMR. That's strange! My BMR is 1595 and MFP gave me 1670. I eat my exercise calories back most of them...cause I'm hungry or I enjoy some of the treats I allow for.


    Mine actually does too. My BMR is 1550 and it sets me at 1350 if I choose the 1lb a week.
  • gingerjen7
    gingerjen7 Posts: 821 Member
    I don't, unless I'm hungry and then I'll have a small snack. That's rare, though. I'm am perfectly satisfied with the calories I take in 95% of the time.
  • LoosingMyLast15
    LoosingMyLast15 Posts: 1,457 Member
    most of the time i eat them. it also depends on what i have eaten that day. if i have a calorie/fat heavy lunch or dinner than i may not eat them. if my eating for the day has been well balanced then yes i eat back my exercise calories. maybe not 100% though if i'm full and close to my calorie goals then i don't sweat it if my calorie intake is say 100 calories less than the exact number. it's a balancing act. :)
  • letsdothis84
    letsdothis84 Posts: 77 Member
    I have just worked this out on the website and my BMR is 1357, the TDEE is 1872 based on light activity, so is a 1200 calorie a day plan ok? Im sorry i get so confused with this, maths was never my strong point! x
  • rachelerwin
    rachelerwin Posts: 140 Member
    I never do.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I have just worked this out on the website and my BMR is 1357, the TDEE is 1872 based on light activity, so is a 1200 calorie a day plan ok? Im sorry i get so confused with this, maths was never my strong point! x

    As per your ticker, you have 8 pounds you want to lose. In that case, you should aim for a half pound a week.

    The closer you are to your goal, the more important it is to have the right calorie deficit. 1200 calories is almost 700 calories below your TDEE. You should be eating about 250 calories below your TDEE. You don't have enough excess body fat to support a larger deficit.

    Yeah... I know no one wants to hear that the can only lose a half pound a week. Everyone wants to lose 10 pounds a week like they do on Biggest Loser. It doesn't happen that way in real life.

    Get adequate protein, strength train, and track your progress by measurements, how clothes fit and progress photos instead of the scale. Do that, and you'll probably reach your goal body before you lose the full 8 pounds.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    hells yeah. i am aiming to keep as much lean body mass as i can while i lose weight.

    also i average my calories bu the week so if i have a day where i burn a lot but done feel like eating them all back, then i save for for a day later in the week because there's always at least 1 day i eat like 3K calories

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